New World
by Varyssa
Summary: You didn't name them after the Sarafan brothers, they are the Sarafan brothers! You raised the Sarafan priesthood you b..." COMPLETE! (again) x
1. Prisoner

Disclaimer – Don't own LOK, all original characters are mine.

Chapter 1 – Prisoner

The sound of Kain's talons echo through the large chamber as he drums them on the hilt of the Soul Reaver. Raziel has never kept him waiting before; he of all should know the lord has no tolerance for lateness. The messenger from Turel strains to appear calm. He had almost died of shock when his master had spoken to him directly; the shock had increased when Turel gave him a message for lord Kain himself. Now the messenger had the misfortune of being in Kain's throne room with the lord of Nosgoth, increasingly impatient and with a renowned short temper.

Eventually the throne room doors open and in strides Raziel. He stops a few feet from the throne and drops, calmly to one knee.

"Forgive my tardiness, my lord," he says, bowing his head, the short strands of raven black hair he refuses to tie back, fall into his face. Kain leans the Soul Reaver aside and waits for Raziel to rise and take his place next to his sire. Kain hands Raziel the report Turel had sent with the messenger. Raziel's eyes dart over Turel's untidy, hasty scrawls and he lowers the report with interest.

"A stronghold?" he asked, the Turelim's eyes widened, only the first born could speak to Kain on such terms, the lower brothers waited until they were addressed.

"Yes," Kain replies, curtly, examining a mark on one of his claws, "Dating back to Sarafan times."

"I was unaware such a place existed," Kain polishes the marked claw absent mindedly on his cloak, examines it, only when he is satisfied does he reply.

"As was I," he admits to his first son. He gestures carelessly to the Turelim,

"You shall join your brother at this keep. You shall explore it and retrieve anything worthwhile; I shall see your find." The Turelim's expression is puzzled,

'_Why ask Raziel to do it? The master is capable of bringing a few artifacts to the sanctuary.'_

"I distrust the Turelim with matters of such importance," Kain says loudly as if hearing the messenger's thoughts. The Turelim cannot be sure but he thought Kain's eyes flickered in his direction, briefly. Raziel hides a smirk well and bows to his sire,

"As you wish, my lord."

Turel surveys the keep before him, a large, smug smile across his face. Anyone who had not heard the news would think he is looking at a rock face. He is still amazed his team managed to find it. The keep itself goes deep underground, the entrance barely visible, blending in with the rest of the rock.

How wonderful it is that he has found this place. A stronghold, built in the time of the Sarafan and it was he, Turel who found it. Not that wretch who happened to be the first born. Not Raziel. Surely such a discovery would bestow Turel with some renewed favor from his father. Turel let a growl escape his throat at the thought of his 'dear' older brother.

He hears footsteps approach him, not one of his many officers, he notes. The footsteps are slow, deliberate, any of the Turelim would be cautious around their master. Turel swings himself around to face the vampire. He cannot help but let his face contort in fury as he sees the first lieutenant approach.

"Turel," Raziel acknowledges him with a casual nod, walking past him to view the keep. Turel regains his composure, "Raziel," he strains his voice to disguise the outrage he felt. This was a place not even the almighty Kain himself knew of; surely it would merit a visit from the almighty himself. Apparently not.

"The lord has asked me to take a look around," Raziel says, his eyes remain on the keep and he does not indulge his brother with a second glance. Turel nods abruptly, he'd suspected as much. After all, why else would the favored one be here? Raziel descends to the stronghold. Turel fixes a stern glare on the young messenger as though blaming him for not bringing Kain himself. The Turelim cowers and backs away from his enraged master, though he is rescued when a shout draws Turel's attention. Unfortunately Raziel is also alerted by the call.

A group of fledglings have found something. Something valuable or they wouldn't be calling for their sire with such urgency. Raziel and Turel both follow the fledglings into the keep and down into the dungeons.

There, indeed there is something valuable. The dungeons are made up of row upon row of cells, dank, dark and dirty. All empty, bar one. One cell is occupied. A female vampire is chained to the rear wall opposite the now open door. She is unconscious; her long, black hair is hiding her face and most of her upper body. She is suspended in mid air by two powerful chains. Through the slight gap in her hair, they can see her skin is deathly white with the faintest taint of blue pigment. Two tattered, black, feathered wings drop from her back, heavily.

"By all that is dark," Turel breathes, he turns to Raziel who is regarding the girl, "She must have been here millennia."

Raziel steps into the cell and approaches the girl. He lifts her face up by the chin, her skin is colder than ice. He senses Turel behind him, he is checking the shackles that hold her to the wall. Turel snaps them and the vampire falls limply forward, into Raziel's arms. Raziel lifts her up to carry her from this place, he is leaving when he remembers the reason behind his visit in the first place. 'Retrieve anything of value.' He pauses. The vampire is of more value than anything else they may find, but there may be more artifacts worthy of the master's attention. Raziel looks back at Turel, "I will send Azrael," he says, "He will bring anything else you find to the sanctuary." He doesn't need to keep his eyes on his brother. He can feel the look of anger and indignation from the second born. He chooses to ignore this and he carries the girl away.

When he arrives at the sanctuary, he takes the girl straight to his own chambers and summons his first born, Azrael. Azrael arrives almost immediately, "My lord?" he asks. His eyes fall on the unconscious stranger. Raziel is lying her down on a soft couch. "Azrael," the first born begins, "Find the master and tell him I would see him, when that is done, you are to go to Turelim territory," Raziel hands him the message that had reached them earlier. Azrael scans it briefly and lowers it, indicating to Raziel he may continue, "Go to this keep and bring back anything of value." Azrael nods,

"Yes, my lord." He turns to leave, when Raziel calls after him,

"And if you see Mioko on your travels, send her to me." He sees Azrael's composure falter slightly, despite his best efforts to conceal his displeasure. "Yes, my lord," he mutters and continues on his way.

Raziel brushes the girl's hair out of her porcelain face. Her face is streaked with dirt lined with blood. He glances down at the thin dress, given to her no doubt by her captors. It may have been white once, but is so old and dirty the original colour is almost indistinguishable. He hears the door open and turns to face the intruder. His vampire daughter, Mioko looks up at him before she sees the girl. She kneels beside her with her lord's permission. "She's filthy," Mioko exclaims, glancing down at the pitiful excuse of a dress the vampire is wearing. Mioko rises, "You called me to find her some _decent_ clothes, then." Raziel laughs and folds his arm,

"You know me too well," he frowns. He studies the extravagant, black dress Mioko is wearing. She shakes her head, "No," she admits, "I just know I'm the one you call when it comes to fashion, mainly because I have taste," she smirks, her eyes resting on the ragged traveling cloak Raziel had draped across his shoulders. She whips it off him as she passes, "this will not do," she mutters, sweeping out of the room. Raziel hears her say a friendly, "my lord," to someone on the other side of the door and assumes Kain is here.

His assumptions are proved correct as the master enters, like Mioko, without knocking. Raziel bows his head slightly, though it goes unnoticed as Kain kneels beside the girl. He is studying the wings with interest.

"We found her, like this in the cells," Raziel explains, "she hasn't woken up yet." Kain rises, satisfied he will learn nothing of the girl on this night. He turns to his first born, "I leave her in your charge," he says, "I want to know when she wakes up." Raziel, who expected nothing more from his sire, nods in reply. Kain leaves after this brief inspection of the girl, allowing Raziel to consider his next action.

When Mioko returns, Raziel is attempting to feed the girl from a goblet. It isn't going well. The blood, although is passing through her lips, is trickling from the sides of her mouth. Raziel supports her head as the liquid runs down her throat. When the goblet is empty, he is pleased to see there is slightly more pigment in her skin than there had been. He turns his attention to Mioko, she has brought a long, white dress with an extremely low cut back. Raziel smiles, "This is from your own collection," he mutters, turning the silken garment over in his hands. Mioko nods, "The fitter will fit her when she can tell us what she wants." She examines the mixture of blood and dirt that stains the girl's face, clothes and probably the rest of her body. "You should wash her," she says to her sire. Raziel raises his eyebrow, "We don't know if she is immune to water, not all of us are," he reminds his daughter. Mioko leaves the room, when she returns she is carefully carrying a small glass filled with water. She drops the slightest drip onto the girl's claws. The water hits it and runs off. She seems satisfied and pours a little more onto the vampire's arm. Again there is no harmful reaction. Raziel sighs, "How do you propose I wash her?" Mioko looks up at him, an obvious smile across her face, "Rahab," she says, simply.

Rahab is in his chambers in his halls in the sanctuary. The chamber he is relaxing contains a large pool of clear, warm water. He is floating on it, his eyes closed, appreciating the serenity of his surroundings.

He hears someone enter and his perfect features contort into a frown. He snaps his eyes open and looks over at the intruder. "Raziel?" he asks, irritably, "What brings you here at this hour?" He pauses as he notices the beautiful creature his eldest brother is carrying. He swims over to the edge of the pool to address his brother properly. Raziel kneels, with the girl in his arms. "She was a prisoner of the Sarafan," he says to his curious kinsman, "We found her in the Sarafan keep in Turelim territory." Rahab looks up at his elder, waiting to find out his business here. "Will you wash her, for me?" the first born mutters. Rahab looks confused for a moment, before he realizes that however natural it was to him, not even the first born was blessed with an amnesty to water. He nods in reply and lowers the girl into the water. Raziel backs away from the lethal pool, "You know where my chambers are," he says, leaving the chamber as quickly as he possibly could.

Raziel does not return to the chamber after his request to Rahab. He decides when the girl has bathed and dressed, he will attempt to feed her again. He makes a short detour to the pantries, the place where the lesser human slaves were held, ready to be fed to their immortal masters. When he has drained a pretty, young female to her death, he fills a goblet with the remainder of the blood. To his astonishment, the vampire is lying on his bed. The stains wiped from her pale body and dressed in the fine garment Mioko had chosen for her. Raziel sits beside her and once again attempts to feed her. There is less spillage this time. She looks as though she wants to be fed. Her throat muscles rise and fall rapidly to control the freefall of precious blood into her system. Raziel watches, a smile spreading across his face as she drinks the goblet dry. He bites into his wrist harshly and lowers the wound to her lips. She doesn't drink much before the wound heals over, but it seems enough. Her breathing is deeper, her lips are twitching, her eyes are opening.

TBC


	2. Jadne

Chapter 2 – Jadne

She opened her eyes. For a long time she just stared up at the canopy on the bed. She tried to make sense of her surroundings. She remembered being in the Sarafan cell. She wondered what had happened, she hadn't seen anyone in a long time. The last thing she could remember was the thirst, the desperate thirst for blood. She remembered screaming for it, but it never came. She became weak and then, she must have passed out. But where was she now? She felt warm, comfortable. She was lying on a soft bed, she felt as though she could have fallen asleep there and then if she wasn't so curious about her surroundings. Her eyes darted to the side, the room was extravagant and luxurious, definitely not of Sarafan proportions.

The walls were marble, red silken cloths with a black crest hung in many places around the room. To the left of the bed was a fire, burning happily, sending a welcomed warmth into the room. She looked over to see the right side of the room and instead saw a vampire, sitting beside her, watching her with interest and patience.

"Where am I?" she choked, it had been a long time since she has spoken to anyone, she had almost forgotten how. "You are safe," Raziel whispered, softly, "You are in the sanctuary of the clans." He can see from the look on her face this means nothing to her, "How long was I a prisoner?" she asked. Raziel shook his head, sending his stray hairs back into his face, "I'm afraid we don't know." She whispered a soft, 'Oh,' and pulled herself up into a sitting position. It appeared to be a difficulty for her.

"What is your name?" Raziel asked, once she appeared to be comfortable.

"Jadne," she replied, more concerned with her wings. She brushed the feathers lightly, satisfied with the results she returned her gaze to Raziel, "and you?" she asked.

"I am Raziel," he answered. She shot him a sudden look of disgust which he chose to overlook, "Kain's first born."

Jadne shrugged her shoulders, making it clear neither his or his master's name held any bearing with her. She looked down at the dress she was wearing and her lip curled into an unmistakable snarl. "What is it?" Raziel asked, his eyes scanned the dress for any imperfection, though he could find none. "I don't wear dresses," she said, firmly. Raziel stared at her in disbelief for a moment, though he soon relented and summoned the fitter.

Raziel left them to arrange an audience between the girl and his sire. When he returned, the fitter had left and Jadne was sitting on the balcony. The dress lay discarded across the couch. Raziel sighed and folded it neatly, before he joined her on the balcony.

She was sitting with her legs dangling over the other side. She was wearing leather trousers and a white cloth had been wrapped around her torso, pinned at the back, beneath her wings. Her long hair was now tied back with a white ribbon, allowing it to cascade down her back and over her wings. Raziel could see now, along the wing bones were numerous scratches and scars. He didn't have time to ponder them as she broke the easy silence between them. "What happened to the stars?" she asked, looking up at the black sky, a thick blanket of cloud shielded the night sky's wonders from them. "We had to scorch the sky," Raziel explained, "The sunlight was killing our fledglings."

She sighed, "I haven't seen the stars for so long." She glanced up at Raziel, "May I see the stars?" she asked. Raziel looked at her, bewildered, she shrugged and raised her right hand, slightly. Raziel watched, in amazement and wonder, as the wind picked up, blowing the clouds apart. The stars and the moon gleamed in the revealed sky above, after millennia of being hidden. Jadne smiled a little as she looked up at the winking wonders, "How did you?" Raziel gasped as the clouds reformed. Jadne sighed, the gap she had created was already being sealed as the constantly lit furnaces fuelled more smog into the sky. "Power over the wind," she said, softly. She broke her gaze at the healing sky and looked at Raziel, "How long have I been here?" she asked. Raziel frowned,

"A matter of hours," he thought, "why?" She gestured carelessly into the chamber behind them. On a table beside the couch was a heavy book, 'The History of the Empire,' leant to him by his brother Dumah, who had no patience for such soothing tasks, like reading. "It took you a millennia to find me?" she asked in mild surprise.

"You've read it?" Raziel asked, ignoring her question, his eyes contemplating the thickness of the book. She shrugged, "I skimmed through it. I thought I should familiarize myself with this world," she returned her gaze to the outside realm, "it's so different to my own," she whispered. Raziel tore his eyes from the book and looked at her, "When were you captured?" he asked, "Was it before Kain came to power?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I have no idea, though I think it was a long time before the empire. I was captured just after the death of my mentor, Janos Audron." Raziel eyes widened in shock, "Janos Audron?" he asked, she snapped her head, sharply, to look at him, "You knew him?" she asked, eagerly, "he was revived?!" Raziel shook his head, sadly, "I know only what is told to us in legend. All I know is that he was killed centuries before the empire began." Jadne looked somewhat startled at this,

"I have been a prisoner for all those years," she laughed, Raziel looked at her, momentarily concerned for her sanity. She shook her head, "I can't believe it." Raziel tried to think of something he could say to reassure her, but there was nothing. "You will see Kain in the morning," he told her, "maybe you would be better speaking to him." Jadne nodded silently and stared, past her legs, at the black void between them and the ground below. "How far is that drop?" she asked, curiously. Raziel peered over the edge, through the darkness there was no way of determining how far the drop extended. "I don't know," he answered. Jadne smiled, mischievously for a moment before she let herself fall forward, off the balcony. "Jadne!" Raziel shouted. He stared at the drop, a few moments later, Jadne alighted on the balcony, "It's not that big," she said, almost disappointed.

She stepped back into the chamber, "I think I need some sleep," she muttered, staring longingly at the bed. Raziel followed her into the chamber, "You may have this room," he told her, "If you need me," he opened the door and pointed at the chamber opposite, "I'm just through there." She nodded and smiled at him. He turned to his own chamber. As he opened the door, he heard her whisper, "Thank you."

TBC


	3. Lord of Nosgoth

Chapter 3 – Lord of Nosgoth

Jadne followed Raziel through the halls of the sanctuary. The halls were crowded with vampires, all of them sporting a different emblem somewhere on their clothing, sometimes on their bodies.

"The sanctuary is a little crowded," Raziel said, over the voices of a hundred servants, "It always is when the council is called." Raziel stopped at a large, beautiful door. It was made of wood, but was decorated with intricate silver patterns. In the center of the door was a large, golden crest. Raziel gave her a quick glance, as if to check her appearance was suitable for the master, before he opened the door and led her inside.

As the door slammed shut, it blocked out all the noise from the outside hall. Jadne looked around in awe. This hall was so different from the rest of the sanctuary. Granted, the floor and walls were of gleaming marble like the other halls, but it had an air of majesty that she had not sensed anywhere else. These halls were truly befitting of the lord of Nosgoth. Raziel led her to a much smaller, humbler plain wooden door. He opened the door and waited for her to move inside.

She was a little surprised upon her entrance. She was expecting a room of similar proportions to the halls she had just crossed. The room was simply furnished. Two couches draped in silk, bearing the same emblem she had seen so often through the halls, were separated by an aged wooden table. In the corner of the room stood a small, wooden cabinet and beside that, a large bookshelf, the books kept in disarray, strewn over the shelves. She was pleased to feel a gentle breeze blowing through the soft, red curtains which shielded the terrace from view. She scanned the room with her eyes quickly, there was no sign of anyone other than herself and her escort.

"The lord will be with you shortly," Raziel told her, backing towards the door. She nodded and he shut her in.

Kain arrived in his chamber shortly after Raziel had left her. Kain placed the papers he was carrying on top of the wooden cabinet before looking around the room. It took him longer than it should have to spot her and for a moment, he thought she may have left impatiently. She was still here. She was out on the balcony, sitting with her legs swaying over the sheer drop to the ground below.

Kain stepped out onto the balcony and stood beside her, keeping a polite distance. "I hope you don't mind," she said, without turning to look at the overlord, "I have always preferred being in the open." Kain frowned,

"Not at all, but I'd prefer it if we would conduct our business in my chamber," he said, taking this opportunity to study the girl's wings while she had her back to him.

Jadne sighed and turned to face the lord. Her eyes widened when she saw him. She had expected to see just another vampire, pale skin, black hair just like the others she had seen here. He was far from "just another vampire." He had olive brown skin, gleaming like marble. She had considered Raziel to be well toned, but his master was just pure muscle. He had ridges meeting in the center of his forehead, above his yellow eyes, giving him the impression he was constantly frowning and his hair; cascading down his back, white, long and soft. He wore the uniform, leather trousers his sons wore and today he donned an open, red, satin shirt, his small, black crest stitched neatly onto the left shoulder. Jadne slipped off the balcony, keeping her wide eyes on the master. He was unlike any vampire she had ever seen and yet...she knew him from somewhere.

She followed Kain back into the chamber, trying to recall where she recognized him from. He beckoned her to sit on one of the couches, as he went to the cabinet in the corner of the room. There was an uneasy silence as he retrieved something from the cabinet and returned to her. He placed a goblet on the table in front of her, before he took his seat opposite her, he was holding his own goblet.

Jadne's eyes settled, eagerly on the deep, red substance withheld in the cup. Kain chuckled, "It is for you," he told her. She smiled in thanks and lifted the goblet to her lips. Considering it rude to down the liquid in a single gulp as she would have liked to have done, she settled to allow a small drop of the precious blood flow past her lips, so that she may savour the taste. She swallowed the sweet ambrosia and lowered the goblet to her lap. She crossed her legs and looked up at Kain patiently.

"Who are you?" he asked, when he felt they were ready to begin.

"Jadne," she replied, keeping her eyes fixed on him. He sighed, perhaps a little out of annoyance, "I meant, _who_ are you?" he asked again. He thought for a moment, thinking it best to give her a starting point to her tale, he added, "Who was your sire?"

"I don't have a sire," she told him, "I was born a vampire." Kain chuckled, she kept her eyes on him and her expression never faltered. "Born a vampire?" he repeated, as if the very thought were laughable, "Vampires haven't been born for eons," he reminded her.

"I know," she said, her tone as calm as it had ever been, "I was the last." His expression became serious again as he realized she believed what she was saying. "You were born a vampire?" he asked, frowning. She nodded slowly,

"Why is that so hard to believe?" she asked. Kain examined her wings and the blue pigment in her skin, she did resemble the ancient race, though they had been wiped out millennia ago. "How old are you?" he asked. She laughed loudly,

"I stopped counting a long time ago," she admitted, "there didn't seem to be much point." Kain looked at her, she was sure she could see s hidden glint of sympathy in his eye, "Do you know how long you were a prisoner?" he asked. She shook her head,

"All I know is that I was there most of my life," she paused and then continued, "I was only nineteen when they caught me." The sympathy in Kain's eyes only became more apparent after this brief statement. He got up and went to the cabinet, returning with the papers, "You were a prisoner for almost two thousand years," he told her. Her eyes widened with disbelief, "Two thousand years?" she gasped, she shook her head before resting it in one hand, "That long?" she whispered. Kain pushed the papers towards her, they had been retrieved from the Sarafan keep, "they contain details about all of their prisoners," he told her, returning to his seat, "lesser vampire sympathizers, traitors mainly and then," he paused for effect, "there is you." He brought his own goblet to his lips, looking at her from over the rim, considering her as she flicked through the papers.

Jadne smirked as she came across a loose sheet, "they even wrote how they tortured me," she muttered in mild amusement, "I remember them telling me about Vorador," she muttered, Kain grew interested and leaned forward on the chair. "They told me that he was dead, they seemed to think that would prove more effective than their usual methods."

"I take it, it was less than successful?" Kain inquired, judging by the smirk across her face.

"I hated him," she snarled, "I only wish it had been me who'd killed him." She paused for a moment as she continued to sift through the material Kain had given her, "Did you like him?" she asked, curiously as she turned another page. Kain reclined on his chair once more, "How did you know I knew him?" he asked. Jadne refused to look at him as she spoke, the Sarafan accounts proving to be far more interesting.

"I'm assuming you did," she glanced up at him, "or was I wrong in thinking that was his ring?" she asked, her eyes resting on the ring through Kain's earlobe. He reached up, instinctively and touched it. "I did know him," he admitted.

"And did his death pain you?" she wondered, tracing the rim of her goblet with a claw, absent mindedly. Kain shook his head, "I didn't mourn his passing," he told her. She paused before she continued, "were you the Kain they talked about? The scourge of the circle? You murdered the guardians?" she asked him. He was taken aback, though he disguised it well. "Yes," he said, finally, "I murdered the circle, what else do you know of me?" he asked. She shook her head, she resumed her study of the papers while Kain continued to stare at her. He was trying to determine if she did indeed know more about him than he would have liked, she was old enough after all, however he did not think she was lying. She returned the papers to the desk and without a regard for her earlier thoughts, she drank the remainder of the goblet, dry. She looked up at Kain expectantly. He considered her for a moment. "I will summon you again," he told her. He stood and held the door open for her, "when I have considered your position." Jadne shrugged and slid off the couch, "you will stay with Raziel," he continued. She stopped before going through the door, "why did you name them after the Sarafan?" she asked, frowning. Kain made no reply, he gestured towards the hall. Jadne sighed and continued through the door, her question going unanswered.

TBC


	4. The Brothers

Chapter 4 – The Brothers

Raziel was waiting for Jadne outside his master's chambers. He looked up at her as she approached him, a nervous glint in his eye as he waited to find out how the meeting had gone. Much to his disappointment, Jadne didn't say anything.

"Well?" Raziel asked after a long silence. Jadne shrugged,

"He reserves judgment," she told him. Raziel breathed a sigh of relief; a decision hadn't been made...yet.

Jadne's eyes fell on the vampire standing beside Raziel. He was slightly taller than the first born. His black hair was much longer, almost as long as hers, swept back into a similar style. His muscles were more defined than Raziel's and there was a slight resemblance between the two, something similar that Jadne couldn't quite put her finger on. "This is my first born, Azrael," Raziel introduced them. Azrael bowed his head in acknowledgement to her. Raziel continued, "he has just returned from the keep, we think some of the things he brought back with him may belong to you." Jadne looked up with interest, "My things?" she asked. Azrael opened the door behind himself and his sire. Jadne followed them inside. This room was bare with the exception of a long, wooden table in the center of it. The table was littered with artifacts from the keep. Jadne looked them over. A smile spread across her lips as she picked up one of the items. She turned over in her hands an old, but still usable leather whip. She cracked it through the air, but frowned upon the noise it made as it sliced the gap between herself and Raziel. He took a small step back as she swung the whip around; it wrapped itself around her waist and down her legs. She smiled at it and made it into a coil and hung it at her hip. She glanced over the table and picked up a sword.

"Were these your things?" Azrael asked. Jadne nodded.

"I'm amazed they'd actually keep them," she said. She put the sword at her other hip and gave a final look over the table. "Nothing else is mine," she announced, she hesitated and picked up a pair of ragged trousers and a torn blouse, she threw them down in disgust, "Well, they were mine," she glanced down at the fine silk and leather garments she was wearing, "but I don't think I'll be needing them from now on." There was a timid knock at the door and a vampire fledgling entered. He dropped to his knees before Raziel and Azrael. "My lord," he said, addressing the more important of the two, "Lord Dumah requests your presence in the sparring chamber." Raziel nodded to acknowledge the message and sent the messenger on his way.

Azrael backed away from the lord, slowly. Raziel eyed him and chuckled, "You aren't coming, Azrael?" he asked. Azrael bowed his head,

"If you don't mind, my lord, the lord Zephon has taken a dislike to me of late, I would not like to meet him in a fight." Raziel frowned,

"But it was Dumah who sent the message, we do not know if Zephon is actually there." Azrael sighed, "All the same my lord, I am not a fan of meeting your brothers in a fight," he hesitated then added, "Or you for that matter." Raziel laughed and turned to Jadne who had been staring at him, almost eagerly.

"Would you care to join me, my lady?" Raziel asked. Jadne smiled,

"Do you think you or your brother's could provide an adequate challenge, my lord?" she asked, almost mockingly. Raziel shrugged, "We shall have to see."

Azrael accompanied his sire and Jadne to the sparring chamber and left them there. Raziel opened the doors and allowed Jadne to enter first. She laughed, inwardly at the sight. It was hardly a room. They might as well have been outside; the floor was vast and covered in a thin layer of sand. There were walls, though they were rounded and so far away that Jadne had trouble to see to the other end. Near the door, standing against the wall were two of Raziel's brothers. They were looking out to the floor, where another two were concluding a fight.

The two nearest them applauded the efforts of their brothers, Raziel joined in as he walked towards his brethren, Jadne followed at a leisurely pace behind.

"So, you decided to show after all," one of the brothers remarked, as Raziel and Jadne neared a polite distance. Raziel nodded swiftly, "Dumah," he stepped back, leaving no obstruction between himself and his charge. "This is lady Jadne," he introduced them. Dumah stepped forward and took the lady's hand in his own, "My lady," he said, bowing and raising her hand to his lips, "Lord Dumah, third son of Kain," he pressed his lips to her hand, without breaking eye contact. Physically he looked a lot stronger than his brothers and he stood a few inches above them in height. Jadne smiled at him as he drew himself up and took a long step backwards, a smile spreading across his black lips. She broke her eye contact with Dumah to look at the next brother. She was almost the same height as him. Strangely, he had a deep blue taint to his skin, and as she had yet to feed adequately to return full colour to her skin, he stood at a darker shade of blue than her. He gave her a polite nod of the head, "Rahab," he introduced himself, "I am pleased to see you have recovered from your ordeal, my lady," he said quietly. She glanced down at her pale skin, "Alas, my lord, I have not completely recovered," she sighed. Rahab rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "I hope you recover soon," he said. She smiled at him as he too retreated to join his older brother.

The two who had been fighting now stood beside her. Again Raziel introduced her by name. "Zephon, fifth son of Kain," the one who had lost the fight, introduced himself, but he did not come any closer or make any kind of greeting to their ancient guest. The other brother had other reasons for hanging back. He was horribly disfigured, large stitches holding flaps of skin in place. Jadne looked on him, "My lady," he said, quietly, but friendly, "I am Melchiah."

"The youngest," Zephon said, snidely. Jadne shot the fifth born a distasteful look. The elder brothers had done the same, "Being the youngest didn't stop him defeating you, _little_ brother," Rahab hissed and Jadne was surprised in the sudden change in the fourth son's demeanor. Zephon snorted indignantly, but fell back none the less, leaving Melchiah and Jadne free to talk further.

During this conversation, the doors to the chamber opened and in stormed yet another of the brothers. Jadne looked up at him. This was obviously Turel, the second born. His face was contorted with anger. She caught Dumah's eye, he was grinning mischievously, as was the eldest brother as Turel approached.

"Why so angry, Turel?" Dumah asked, innocently. Turel glared at him, but did not answer. "Ah of course," Dumah said, "This is because the master summoned us here."

"And when you were occupied with that newly discovered keep," Rahab joined in the assault on his elder, "What was the master thinking? Calling us to council when Turel has such important matters to attend." Dumah leaned casually against Raziel,

"You know, brother?" he asked the eldest, keeping his eyes on Turel, "I think you should have words with our lord and master," he continued, looking up at Raziel, "you are the "first born" after all."

"Yes, Raziel," Rahab agreed, "Tell the master to give us notice before he summons us, that way Turel can make sure he has no prior engagements."

"Enough!" Turel snapped. Jadne wondered why he had allowed their verbal assault go on for so long. Turel drew his sword, "I came here to find a challenge, which of you came here looking for a fight?" he demanded furiously, glaring at his two younger brothers.

"I did," Jadne's voice rang out before any of the brethren had a chance to reply. The brothers looked over at her. Turel was glaring at her in utter disbelief, "and who are you?" he demanded.

She made a false curtsy, raised her eyes to look at his and introduced herself, "Lady Jadne, my lord." He continued to glare at her, she had infuriated him even more with her false courtesies. The second born glanced over at his brethren, none of them said anything, indeed it appeared they were all waiting to see how a battle between the two would turn out. "Very well," Turel snapped, walking to the sandy floor, "Don't expect me to go easy on you, just because you're female."

Dumah gave Jadne an encouraging pat on the back as she followed her opponent, "I don't," she replied cheerfully. She stood opposite him and began to plan her moves. She was smiling at him, watching her happiness infuriate him further. Underneath the smile she was snarling. She hated him. She hated his arrogance and the way he looked down on her because she was female. She held one hand hovering over the whip at her hip. This would be a quick fight; she would finish him quickly, ensuring he was humiliated by the defeat.

One of the brothers shouted for the fight to begin. Turel charged at her, his sword raised high. She gave him a swift smile and unfurled her wings. She heard mutters from the spectators as she lifted herself a few foot in the air, dodging Turel's blows, teasing him as she danced around him. She played this game for a while longer. It was amusing to see him try in vain to attack her. Eventually she tired of her pursuit and reached for her whip. She cracked it through the air, it wrapped around Turel's sword and it was wrenched from his grasp. She lashed the whip around his leg and pulled him to the ground. Turel tried to get up to resume the fight, but she was sitting on his chest and he was staring down the blade of his own sword.

The brothers at the sidelines were in shock. They hadn't dismissed the possibility that Jadne could actually defeat the second born, but they hadn't expected such a result so quickly. Jadne dropped Turel's sword at his side and sauntered back to their audience as they applauded and congratulated her.

"That was truly inspiring," Melchiah said, gently. Dumah was not so gentle and shook her by both shoulders, "Congratulations," he said heartily. She felt Rahab pat her on the shoulder and even Zephon was impressed, though he did not express his thoughts physically. She looked over at Raziel. He gave her a nod of approval, "Well done," he said, softly.

Dumah spoke over the murmurs of 'congratulations,' "I'll have to do something about those wings when we fight," he said. Jadne chuckled, though her victory was short lived as a voice scorned behind her, "Why wait?"

Jadne cried out as Turel's blade cut across the main bone of her wings. She felt herself fall, but she was caught by two strong arms. She heard the sound of steel meeting steel and she was turned around to see her attacker. It was Dumah and Rahab who had caught her. They both supported her, one on either side. She had expected to see Raziel there, but it had been he who had raised his sword to Turel. He stood now, in front of Jadne, his sword connecting with Turel's bloody blade. She screamed a little as a new agony took the place of the previous pain. It took her a moment to realize that it was Melchiah. He was running a talon over the wound, sealing it beneath his touch. She heard him mutter an apology for her pain before an odd silence took over them.

"Now, now Turel," a familiar voice said, from behind the second born, "that is no way to treat our guest." Turel saw Raziel's malicious grin as he turned around, stricken with fear. Kain stood behind him and his eyes were narrowed, positively infuriated.

"My apologies, lady Jadne," Kain said, his eyes fixed on his shaking second born, "I pray you will not judge all my sons by the actions of this _one_," she felt Dumah squeeze her arm as the master continued, "and rest assured, this one will be dealt with."

TBC


	5. The Second Summons

Chapter 5 – The Second Summons

Jadne awoke early the following morning. Raziel was looking down at her, waiting for her to awaken. She jumped when she saw him, she hadn't expected the first born to be waiting at her bed side.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. Jadne looked up at him, puzzled. He indicated to her wings, still freshly scarred by Turel's attack just the day before. She smiled in realization,

"Yes, I'm fine," she sighed. She slipped off the bed and stood before the full length mirror the opposite side of the room. She flexed her wings and assessed the remaining damage. The upper bone of her wings had cut badly, but after the aid of the last born of the brethren, the wound had healed, leaving a new scar among numerous marks of old.

Raziel waited patiently for her to complete her study. She wasn't in any rush and it wasn't until she had been staring at the damaged wing for some time did she realize Raziel was actually waiting for her.

"Sorry," she looked at him, through the mirror, "Did you want something?" Raziel nodded, slowly, "More than one thing actually, firstly,'' he gestured for her to sit down as he took a seat opposite her, "The brethren only came here for council, now that the council has finished, we will all return to our own territories," he paused to consider her reaction, though it wasn't as obvious as he'd hoped, she just stared at him, a patient smile on her lips, waiting for him to continue. "Have you thought about your future here?" he asked, eventually. Jadne shrugged,

"My future is in your master's hands," she said, almost sadly.

"Would you like to come to Razielim with me?" he asked. Her eyes widened at the prospect,

"Go with you?" she asked, "I don't have to stay here on my own?" she hesitated, "with Kain?" Raziel shook his head, "Not unless you want to." She shook her head, furiously,

"No!" she said, desperately, "I don't want to be left on my own." Raziel nodded, understanding her feelings. There was an air of happiness between them as she imagined what Raziel's own land looked like and how she wouldn't have to stay here, alone with Kain. She knew he was watching her, if not in person, she was aware of the eyes following her everywhere she walked, and what of his appearance at the sparring chamber? She doubted he made a point to visit every time his sons decided to make use of the room.

She snapped out of her trance as she remembered Raziel's words to her,

"You said there was more than one thing, you wanted?" she asked. Raziel looked up at her, a strange, almost laughing smile on his face, "Kain wants to see you."

The first born escorted her to a different chamber this time. Kain was inside, however he was not alone, Turel was with him. Raziel held the door open for her and followed her in. He bowed to his master and gave a fleeting smirk at his younger brother. Kain looked up at Jadne, "Leave us," he commanded. Raziel gave Jadne an encouraging smile as he passed her and his hand brushed across her arm as he left. Turel, however gave her a look of utmost hatred.

When the two had gone and the door closed, Kain gestured for her to sit. Although this room was not the same as the one that had held her first meeting with the overlord, it was somewhat similar though it was slightly smaller and the bed was missing. There were more seats in this room, indicating to Jadne that this may be the room that the brethren met their lord and sire on more relaxed terms, if such a thing were possible with Kain.

She waited patiently as he prepared to join her. He walked behind her, studying the newly scarred wings. "I am glad to see that there will be no lasting damage from my son's _idiotic_ assault and rest assured he has been disciplined for the incident." Jadne remained silent as he took the seat opposite and regarded her. He was about to speak when she interrupted him, "Do you keep tabs on everyone who comes into your kingdom?" she asked, unnerved by the master's look of outrage that she had dared to interrupt him. She wasn't deterred, angered by her lack of freedom after years of imprisonment. Kain glared at her,

"What did you expect?" he asked, calmly. Jadne glared at him,

"and when I go to Razielim, will you have Raziel report daily on me?" Kain looked up, taken aback,

"You are going to Razielim?" he asked, "Why?" he demanded. She looked at him, indignant,

"Did you expect me to stay when you have your servants watching me wherever I go?"

"And you think it would be different in Razielim?" he paused before he continued, "Why are you going to Razielim?" he asked, calmly. She shrugged,

"Raziel asked me," she told him, "I have no desire to remain here, alone," she said. Kain was looking at her as if he expected more, but she made no further comments.

"You may go," he said, and was on the verge of continuing when she interrupted,

"I wasn't asking for your permission," she said, firmly. Kain glared at her,

"and if I changed my mind?" he challenged, "and told you to remain?" Jadne shook her head,

"I'd go anyway. You haven't the ability to keep me prisoner." Kain stared at her, calmly, though inside he was fuming. "The Sarafan could," he reminded her, "and we are more powerful than the Sarafan ever could be. Do not underestimate us," he warned.

"The Sarafan only could because they had that damned staff," she cursed. Kain grew interested,

"Moebius' staff?" he asked. She nodded,

"Why didn't you destroy it when you killed him?" Kain frowned,

"How did you know I killed him?"

"Remember?" she asked, "They told me you killed the guardians. I knew Moebius very well," she growled, "and those bastards who served him," her voice shook with anger as she unwillingly but inevitably recalled memories of the Sarafan brotherhood, "they visited me," she said, almost pleasantly, "That was the only part of my imprisonment when torture actually hurt...when _they_ did it...sadistic bastards," she whispered, angrily. She forced herself to look back up at the lord, "Anyway," she announced, "You allow me to leave for Razielim?" she asked.

"I thought you said I didn't have a choice?" Kain wondered aloud.

"Oh you don't," she assured him, "But it's nice to think you do." Kain couldn't help but chuckle quietly as she stood, assuming the meeting to be over. She gave a swift, smiling nod to the seated master and hurried out of the room.

Kain stared at the closing door in disbelief as he realized, her hasty exit was not intended to infuriate him. She was genuinely excited.

TBC


	6. Come Fly with Me

Chapter 6 – Come Fly with Me

Jadne woke up with the excited feeling of a child the following day. She smiled as soon as she'd opened her eyes and looked around her new room. Raziel's clan insignia was draped all around her, reminding her she had left Kain back in the sanctuary. For the first time since she had woken up in Nosgoth, she felt truly free.

She threw back the covers from the bed and dashed onto the balcony. From here she could see the streets of the Razielim city coming to life. Servants were filing into the streets ready to welcome their master from his excursion to the sanctuary. Jadne looked down on them smiling, she had hoped Raziel would give her a tour of his clan today, there had been little time after their late arrival the night before.

Unable to contain her excitement, she threw on the clothes she had brought from the sanctuary and rushed into the corridors. Mioko was walking towards her, her style had changed dramatically since her arrival. Her clothes were less extravagant, yet still beautiful and they no longer bore her father's crest. Clearly Jadne was not the only one affected by Kain's domineering presence.

"Good morning," Mioko greeted, sweeping one side of her dress aside and giving a swift curtsy, "Did you sleep well?" she asked, cheerfully. The entire palace was buzzing with excitement at the return of their sire. Jadne nodded, happily, "Very well." Mioko looked around the familiar halls and sighed happily, "It's so good to be home," she said, she looked over at Jadne, "don't get me wrong," she said, quickly, "I love the sanctuary...but the surroundings are somewhat...intimidating." Jadne laughed, "I know exactly what you mean."

"Were you looking for Raziel?" Mioko asked. Jadne nodded, a smirk crossed the fledgling's face, "He's not so happy to be back." Jadne looked up at her in surprise, Mioko continued, "He has a phenomenal amount of business to attend. He'll be lucky to see you before the end of the week. Don't look too disappointed!" Mioko added, seeing Jadne's crestfallen look, "You don't need Raziel to show you around, you're free to go wherever you want." Jadne cheered up at the prospect of being totally free, if only for the day. "I have my own business to attend," Mioko sighed, giving another short curtsy, "My lady."

Jadne and Mioko parted, leaving Jadne to wander through the palace, searching for the exit. The decoration in the palace was not so different from the decoration at the sanctuary. Raziel had obviously been influenced by his master's tastes. The palace was decorated accordingly with similar colours and banners though on a much less grander scale. Jadne found the exit and found herself at the top of sweeping marble steps, leading down into the town. "May I help you?" a male voice asked from behind. Jadne glanced back, a young vampire was approaching her. He had short, flaming red hair, unlike the majority of the Razielim or any other vampire for that matter. He was slightly taller than the ancient vampire and was dressed in fine clothes, Raziel's crest emblazoned over his heart. He bowed to Jadne and kissed her hand, reminding her vaguely of Dumah, "I am Maret," he introduced himself, as he rose, "First born of Azrael, second in command to our lord."

"Jadne," she said, cockily resting her head against a shoulder. Maret looked down the steps to the town, "Do you require assistance?" he asked, politely. She shook her head, "No, I was just going to explore your delightful, little town." Maret laughed at her description, she frowned slightly, there was no joke intended. "Allow me my lady," he said, becoming serious suddenly, "The palace, here is the northernmost point of Razielim, to the east is the barracks, the south holds the human slaves and the streets you see before you are where the vampire servants abide."

"And the west?" Jadne asked, casting her eyes over to streets, shrouded in shadows from the surrounding mountains. Maret looked in the same direction, "The west, my lady, is known as the "female quarter."" He explained, "The whores dwell there." Jadne turned to face him, quickly, "the females who place themselves in the officers bed to gain favor for a while," he explained, "it isn't the most pleasant place in Razielim."

"I see," Jadne said, surprised that such a decadent place could exist in an otherwise perfect community. "Well, I thank you, Maret," she said, looking at the city, "I think I'll go and have some fun." Maret took a step back as Jadne lowered herself, slightly, flexing her wings, then in a heavy beat, she rose into the air and soared to the clouds.

Raziel threw a report down, onto the paper-laden table, and rubbed his temple wearily. He glanced over at the window, darkness was setting in. He had indeed been sitting here, all day, reading report after report and solving problem after problem. He was beginning to think leaving Maret in charge was a bad idea. The man seemed to have an inability to deal with even the slightest task, preferring his lord to attend it upon his return.

He looked back at the piled table and sighed. It wasn't Maret's fault. The majority of business was intended for the clan lord himself and he took some comfort in the knowledge that elsewhere, his brothers were in exactly the same position, with the exception, of course, of Turel, who was still being punished for his assault on Jadne.

Jadne. Raziel sighed again. She had been so looking forward to seeing his clan and enjoying the company of the clan lord, and here he was dealing with petty petitioners and squabbling soldiers, ignoring her.

There was a light thud on the balcony behind him. Raziel turned to face the intruder, already sensing who it was. He smiled, wearily when he saw his ancient guest, sitting on the terrace, smiling back at him. "What do you want?" he asked. She made no reply, instead she got up and walked into his chamber. She sneered at the table of papers and ruffled through them, reading random extracts. "The armoury requires more swords...the female quarter requires a new fitter...the human slaves are...wow," she said, sarcastically, "I can see you've had an interesting day."

"And it isn't over yet," he pleaded, "So please, tell me what it is and leave me until my business is concluded."

Jadne smiled, mischievously, "I thought you may need a break." Raziel groaned and massaged his face with his hands, "that is exactly what I need, if I had the time." He felt her take his hand and pull him harshly onto the balcony. "Jadne..." he protested. She slipped behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest, under his arms and with the strength her vampirism had granted her, lifted him into the air.

"Jadne!" he shouted, as they soared over the streets of Razielim, leaving his balcony and business far behind. He soon realized there was no point protesting, Jadne had a firm grip and there was no way she could relinquish it, without dropping him from the great height they were flying at. He had just begun to enjoy the sensation, the feeling of the wind whipping his hair, his body cutting the air as he looked down on his kingdom, when Jadne set them down on a cliff edge.

Raziel looked across at his land from their ridge. Jadne moved right to the edge and dropped so her legs dangled over the edge. Raziel stepped forward and sat beside her, enthralled at the view.

Jadne rested her head on Raziel's shoulder as the sky darkened and the flaming lights came on in Razielim. For a long while they sat, in silence, admiring the breathtaking view. After the darkness had long set in, Jadne sighed heavily and took her head from its resting place and bowed it. "We better get back," she whispered sadly. Raziel watched her rise and followed, reluctantly. "Will I see you tomorrow?" she asked. Raziel sighed, "Probably not." She looked away immediately, but not before he saw the hurt in her eyes. She stepped towards the edge and unfurled her wings, "Oh," she muttered. Raziel moved before her, "Jadne," he muttered, lifting her cheek to look at her. He could see the disappointment in her face, "I guess I wanted to spend some time with you," she muttered, looking away again. "Jadne," he sighed, forcing her to look at him again. She stared up into his yellow eyes, they had a glimmer of sadness behind them, like hers. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a moment before releasing her. She seemed more upset now than before, after his comforting embrace. Raziel looked down at her and without warning, pressed his lips to hers. She returned the kiss, lovingly, melting into his arms. Reluctantly, Raziel eventually broke the kiss but continued to hold her, "I guess I will be seeing you tomorrow after all."

TBC


	7. Lady Raziel

Chapter 7 – Lady Raziel

Jadne woke, late the next morning with a feeling of peace with the world. She had slept soundly, comfortably and best of all, the nightmares that had haunted her dreams for centuries hadn't disturbed her.

When she woke, she didn't open her eyes. She lay, instead, with her eyes shut tightly and a small smile spread over her lips. She could feel Raziel beside her, still sleeping, despite it being long past dawn, his usual waking time. His body was pressed against her back, both his arms wrapped around her from behind, holding her through the night. She could feel his steady breath against the nape of her neck, disturbing the hair that covered it, sending a tingle down her spine. She didn't want to open her eyes. She wanted to lay like this for ever, she wanted time to stand still in this moment.

Time moved on, as it inevitably does and after lying in his embrace for a long while, his embrace tightened as he woke. She sighed and rolled over to meet his opening eyes. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead as greeting, "Good morning," he whispered. She made no reply, instead she buried her face in the side of his neck, seeking comfort. "Did you sleep well?" he asked. Jadne pulled her face away to look up at him,

"Better than I ever have," she smiled. Raziel smiled back at her and rested his chin above her head. "Jadne?" he whispered, after a while. Jadne looked up at him, "we have to get up," he told her. Jadne sighed and eventually moved backward, freeing Raziel from her embrace. She slipped out of the bed and searched for her clothes, strewn across the chamber floor. Raziel watched her dress, refusing to leave the comfort of his bed. Jadne glanced over at the bed and pulled the sheets off him. He yelped as the warmth left him and cold air hit him. Scrambling out of bed he pulled on some clothes.

"That was mean," he grumbled, slipping on a fresh shirt. Jadne grinned as she dumped the bed sheets in an untidy pile on the bed. "The slave will _love_ you," he added. She examined her wings as she flexed them carelessly, "Someone has to," she told him. He was about to speak when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come," Raziel called. Azrael entered, he gave a swift bow to his sire and a smile to Jadne who had perched herself on the pile of sheets. "My lord, you have business awaiting you in your chamber." Raziel sighed and dismissed Azrael, who left, still smiling at Jadne.

Raziel dropped into a chair, weary despite the lack of activity since he woke. He felt Jadne run her fingers through his hair, combing it for him even though there wasn't a single tangle. She wondered how he managed to keep his hair so smooth, hers became knotted almost immediately after brushing, not ideal for a vampire who spent most of her time in the air, having her hair played with by the wind.

"When will I see you?" she asked, eventually. Raziel leant back into the chair, to look up at her. "I don't know," he sighed. He took one of her hands in both of his, "But, I will see you today," he kissed her hand, "I promise." She withdrew her hand and pressed her lips to his, "I have something to look forward to, then."

Jadne missed Raziel's company as soon as he had left her. She had explored the majority of Razielim the day before, leaving her with nothing to do today. She cast her mind back to the years when she had been free, when there was no empire or Raziel. She had passed the days hunting Sarafan or flying. Now there were no Sarafan to hunt and she was wary of how far she flew, lest she fly near Kain's reach. She was sitting, bored on the marble steps leading up to the palace, when she felt a familiar presence.

"Are you alright, my lady," Maret asked. Jadne shrugged,

"Just bored," she admitted. Maret sat beside her and nodded, sympathetically,

"Yes, for those who do not serve the lord there isn't much entertainment is there? I wonder what they do with themselves," he added, more to himself than to Jadne, she answered, anyway, "Who?" Maret frowned and his eyes wandered in the direction of the female quarter. "Those who do not directly serve the lord. Those who do not have to trouble themselves with the everyday running of the clan."

"What do you do?" she asked, curiously.

"I train our warriors, my lady," he said, he added, with some distaste, "my son, Thorne and I are responsible for teaching our fighters the skills they need to know in order to prove themselves worthy in the eyes of our lord, in battle."

"Why?" Jadne asked, curiously, "who do you fight?" she wondered, "in my youth we trained to kill the hunters but there are little or none of them here, not in the numbers that require an army, at least. Why do you train your warriors for a battle that will never come?" Maret looked at her, impressed at her words, "I admit there is little point in having an army. The humans are not stupid enough to revolt, though there is the possibility of an attack." He left the silence that followed too long and Jadne had to prompt a response, "From?" she asked, engrossed in their conversation.

"One of the brothers," Maret told her, slightly put out that she had not guessed where the threat lay, "there is always the possibility that one of the brothers may wish to attack us. We must keep the army trained, should such an event occur."

It was then Jadne appreciated the defences she had overlooked during her flight the day before. The vast wall that had been built around Razielim had vampires patrolling it, regularly. At each side of the wall was a large gate, constantly kept closed and also guarded. Razielim was well fortified and prone to any indication of an attack early on. Jadne was still confused, "but...Raziel is Kain's first born, surely no one would be stupid enough to attack his clan?" Maret nodded in agreement,

"As I said, my lady, there is always the possibility." Jadne frowned as she realized what he had said, "Why do you call me that? I introduced myself as Jadne," she asked. Maret shrugged, "It is customary to call the ladies of the court, my lady, especially when they are the lord's favourite."

Jadne glared at him, indignantly, "Lord's favourite?!" she demanded, "since when did I become the 'Lord's favourite'?!"

"You have upset our guest, Maret," a voice said, cheerfully from behind them. Mioko was standing with her hands on her hips, leering down at the second born of the clan. Maret got up and bowed to her, "forgive me, my lady," he muttered. Mioko gestured for Jadne to follow her as she began to descend to the streets, "Never mind," she shrugged, "Thorne is waiting for you in the barracks, I suggest you do not keep him waiting, you know how impatient he can be." Maret sighed and left without another glance at the ancient vampire.

Jadne jogged down the steps to catch up with Mioko. "Are you alright?" Mioko asked, concerned, "Maret's a nice guy, but he can get so boring after a while, so obsessed with duty..." Mioko trailed off and glanced at Jadne.

"Actually we were just discussing my new role as the 'lord's favourite,'" Mioko gave a fake sigh of sadness, "and I thought I was the 'lord's favourite,'" she said, sadly, "how quickly they forget," she smiled at Mioko, "as long as you're sleeping with Raziel, you will come to be known as 'the lord's favourite,' all the high lieutenants have one; Maret, Jade, Thorne...I think Azrael has fallen out with his, though." Jadne raised an eyebrow, "and how is it you know I'm sleeping with Raziel?" she demanded. Mioko shrugged, "these things spread in Razielim, spread like wildfire." She looked over to see Jadne's infuriated look, "don't worry," she assured her, "it's not a bad thing, really, the only drawbacks being the assassination attempts." Jadne grew interested, suddenly.

"Assassination attempts?" she asked. Mioko nodded,

"From all the desperate females trying to find their way into a lord's bed. Trust me, aside from myself, Raziel doesn't have favourites, never has, despite the mass of whores that would love to find his bed. You'll probably have more enemies than any of the favourites put together, by the end of the day. Watch your back," Mioko warned, "Raziel's favour is highly sought after, believe me, I know." Jadne raised an eyebrow and stopped walking. Mioko turned and laughed, "I haven't _slept_ with him!" she protested, "I couldn't! Raziel is my father," she explained, "I've always thought of him as a father and nothing more." Jadne, satisfied with this answer continued walking. She was about to speak when Mioko stopped in her tracks. "Well, news travels faster than I gave it credit."

Striding towards them was a Razielim female. She was scantily clad in red, adorned with Raziel's crest and she fixed Jadne with a murderous glare. "Jadne, meet Isaris," Mioko muttered. Isaris came to a halt before them and glared at Jadne. She could have been pretty if a frown didn't distort her features. Her face seemed to be rather cruel, a faint mark lined her left cheek, her long black hair falling in front of it.

"Good afternoon, Isaris," Mioko said, cheerfully, "how are you?" Isaris tore her gaze from her 'rival' and glanced at Mioko, "I'm fine, I was about to pay our lord a visit."

"You needn't bother," Jadne told her, "he's busy."

"He may yet want some company," Isaris said, coolly. Mioko sighed as the tension between the two mounted. Jadne shook her head, struggling to keep her temper under control, "I doubt it." Mioko interrupted,

"Isaris, Jadne is right, the lord is busy and he will not see anyone tonight."

"Does that include you?" Isaris asked Jadne. Jadne narrowed her eyes,

"What business is it of yours if I see him or not?" Mioko shook her head and sighed sadly, a fight between these two was inevitable. Jadne's hand kept jerking towards her whip, which she kept, faithfully at her hip. Isaris growled at the ancient vampire and made to walk past them. Mioko breathed a sigh of relief as a fight was avoided. Her relief was short lived when Isaris flicked a dagger across Jadne's cheek, slicing it open. Mioko groaned, in the female quarter such a mark rendered you a disgraced whore, if such a thing were possible. She doubted Jadne what the action meant but still Jadne reacted. She smirked and ran a claw, lightly over the wound, healing it swiftly. She reached out and caught Isaris' wrist as she made to walk away. Jadne twisted her wrist, causing the vampire to cry out in pain. Mioko felt a breeze catch her as Jadne leapt into the air, taking the whore with her. Mioko looked up to see them both vanish from view. A moment later she caught sight of a figure falling rapidly toward the ground and a moment later Isaris' body bounced off the floor with a sickening splat.

Mioko wrinkled her nose as her dress became stained with the whore's blood. Jadne alighted a moment later. "Sorry," she winced, looking at Mioko's ruined dress. Mioko sighed but shrugged it off, "I shall have to change before tonight." Jadne was more interested in the vampire's broken body, "Who was she?" she asked.

"Isaris, the most desperate of the Razielim females."

"And she cut me because...?" Jadne asked. Mioko glanced at the mark where Isaris had slit Jadne's cheek, "To mark you as her rival," she explained, "to tell the world what a piece of trash you are." Jadne laughed,

"Coming from that bitch? That's amusing."

Mioko headed up to the palace with Jadne following closely behind. "Are you joining us, tonight?" Mioko asked. Jadne looked up at her, curiously. "Raziel, Azrael and Jade play cards this night, I join them occasionally. Won't you come? It'll be nice to have some female company for a change." Jadne pawed the ground with her foot,

"I can't say I've ever played." Mioko shook her head,

"Then come, I shall teach you some tricks before the game. Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to beat Raziel."

"And if I beat him?" Jadne asked curiously. Mioko gave a mischievous smile,

"He'll be at your mercy, vice versa if he beats you," Mioko smirked, "So, really you have to admit; either way, you win."

TBC


	8. Revelations

Chapter 8 – Revelations

Raziel, Azrael and the Razielim lieutenant Jade had already begun their game when Mioko and Jadne joined them. The three sat around a round table, facing each other, placing cards inscribed with the different symbols of the empire, in front of themselves, cautiously. Mioko and Jadne took their seat next to each other. Mioko was facing Azrael and to Jadne's delight, she was facing Raziel. He smiled, affectionately at her as he caught her eye, before returning his gaze to the cards Jade had laid before him. Raziel and Azrael sighed as Jade, declared the victor, scooped the pile of rings, chains and other items from the center of the table to his pockets.

Azrael picked up the cards and dealt them out, including the women in the new hand. Jadne studied the cards, she didn't expect to win, she had only learnt of this game a few moments before with a few short lessons from Mioko who had every intention of defeating Azrael this night.

"How do you find Razielim, my lady?" Jade asked Jadne from behind the veil of his cards. Jadne looked up at him, "It's very nice, though I do think _some _of the inhabitants could be a little more hospitable."

Raziel looked up at her, his eyebrows raised questionably. Mioko sniggered next to his lover, "The lady Isaris shan't be bothering you any more, father," she smirked. To Jadne's surprise it was not only Raziel who looked up with a smile breaking across his lips, Azrael and Jade wore similar expressions. They were smiling not so much of joy but of relief. "Thorne will be disappointed," Jade muttered, looking back at his cards. Azrael and Raziel murmured their agreements as they too looked upon their own hands.

Jadne smiled at their responses and glanced down at the cards she fanned out in her grasp. Two Dumahim symbols, two Rahabim and Kain's own crest. She had no idea what this meant and so she turned the cards face down in front of her and excused herself from the game, choosing instead to stand behind her beloved and watch him play.

Raziel smiled as she wrapped her arms around his chest from behind, she rested her head on his shoulder and watched the game from her new place. Raziel was looking at his own hand, two Kain crests, a Razielim and two Turelim. Jadne couldn't tell what this meant but from the smile Raziel was trying so desperately to disguise she could tell this was good.

His eyes moved across the table, studying the players around the table. All of them were looking at Jade who was studying his own cards with a frown. Eventually he put his hand in his pocket and placed his entire win from the last hand into the center of the table. He smiled triumphantly and sat back, waiting for the reaction. Mioko and Azrael had fixed each other with deadly stares. Azrael placed his own ring into the center and waited for Mioko to do the same. Once Raziel had placed an item the gaze returned to Jade, who in the meantime had procured more items to gamble.

Raziel leaned back in his chair, resting his head against Jadne's. She smiled and kissed the spot behind his ear. She loved being this close to him, she loved being around him, let alone holding him like this. She nuzzled his cheek with her forehead as he added another item to the small pile on the table.

Mioko frowned and with a shooting glare at Azrael placed her cards down as Jadne had done before her and sighed. Azrael's triumph of lasting longer than his rival was short lived as Jade placed a gold chain in the center, sending the bet too high and the second born was first to pull out. "Just you and me, my lord," Jade muttered, frowning at his sire. He couldn't tell whether the smile, his master was wearing, reflected the cards he was holding in his hand or the fact his beloved was stroking his hair.

The lieutenant was not deterred and he continued to bet, going as far as to bet his own sword. Raziel looked up at his lieutenant, "Are you that confident?" he asked, curiously. Jade nodded and finalized the bet by releasing the hilt of his weapon, sending it crashing down on the pile of jewelry and gifts that preceded it. Jade looked crestfallen as Raziel added his own sword to the pile, he couldn't afford to go any higher so Jade added a final signet ring and displayed his cards: Two Turelim, Two Dumahim and a Rahabim. Raziel grinned triumphantly and displayed his own cards. Jade cried out it in defeat as Raziel claimed the prizes for himself. "Why don't you just kill me now?" Jade whimpered, dropping his head to the table. Raziel gave an evil smirk as Jadne's arms tightened around his chest, "Death would be too merciful."

"_Death would be too merciful." _

The Sarafan brotherhood closed in on Jadne as she writhed in agony from the effects of Moebius' cursed staff. Jadne looked up at the leader, the murderer who had torn her father's heart from his still living body, the Sarafan priest: Raziel. "What should we do with her?" one of the knights asked their leader, "Death?" his sword pressed against the fallen vampire's neck. Raziel held up his hand to stop him, "Take her to the keep, death would be too merciful."

"_Death would be too merciful."_

Jadne's arms were digging into Raziel's chest, tightly as her memories overpowered her. That voice, the voice that had belonged to her captor, to her father's murderer. Now she understood why her question had gone unanswered in the sanctuary, why the brethren were named after the Sarafan priests.

Raziel turned to look up at her, surprised at her sudden clenching grasp. She released him and backed away, he was surprised to see her eyes wide with fear. She was shaking her head slowly, she looked as though she was going to cry, tears were forming in her eyes.

"Jadne?" he asked, concerned, he reached out to her, but she continued to back away. She stumbled as she turned and ran off the balcony, throwing herself into the dark oblivion of the outside world.

Kain was sitting in his private bedchamber. It was late but it would still be a long time before he retired for the night. He sat, by the edge of his fire, reading a book he had preserved from his days as a human. His back was toward the balcony and the doors had long been closed to keep out the harsh, nightly wind. Now the room was bathed in a warm glow from the fire.

There was a loud thud from behind him. Curious, Kain turned the chair but not before the balcony doors had swung open, "You didn't name them after the Sarafan brothers, they _are_ the Sarafan brothers! You raised the Sarafan priesthood you bastard!"

Kain's mind took a moment to register that the ancient vampire had flown straight into his _private_ bedchamber and screamed at him. Kain took in what she had said and with a calm blink asked, "So?"

Jadne was panting for breath, from rage but more from upset, she couldn't believe how he could remain so calm. "So?!" she shrieked, "You raised the Sarafan brotherhood! They killed hundreds of our kind, they murdered my father!" she cried, concealing her real reasoning behind the obvious choice of words. Kain continued to look at her calmly, placing the book aside, "I am perfectly aware of what they did," he told her, "that is one of my reasons for making them my servants." She glared at him in disbelief, "Why are you angry?" he asked, standing up to look down on her, "is it because I raised long dead warriors to serve me or is it because you slept with the man who was once your father's murderer?"

Jadne's claws swept across his cheek as she slapped him for his cutting comments. To her surprise he didn't summon servants to imprison her or even kill her, instead he returned his gaze to hers, overlooking her outburst, "and what will you do now?" he asked. She stared at him, refusing to answer as her mind worked, hastily, trying to figure out what the answer actually was. What could she do now? She could tell them, tell the brethren of their pasts, but what good would it do? They could hardly rise up against their master. Would they even care? Would they even believe her? What were her other options? To return to Raziel? Return to the man she had not just slept with but also fallen hopelessly in love with? How could she, knowing that it had been he who had condemned her to a life of imprisonment.

She could feel Kain watching her, waiting for her answer. An answer she wouldn't give even if she had one. Defiantly she spat at his feet and unfurling her wings, returned once more to the night sky. Kain moved to the balcony and closed the doors, shivering slightly from the cold breeze. He returned to the warmth of his seat by the fire and once he was comfortable, returned to his book.

TBC


	9. The Dawn

Chapter 9 – The Dawn

Kain quickened his already hurried pace to his chamber. Desperately seeking solace from the horrified, accusing stares of his servants, vampire and human alike, he swung his chamber door open and fell against it as it closed. Finally, he'd escaped the hatred that emanated from every direction. His servants, his sons were amazed and terror stricken he would go this far. Even that damned spectre had vowed to give him no peace, but then, had she ever?

He walked onto the balcony and looked over the dark land before him. It would be dawn soon. The last dawn the Razielim would see. They had to be killed, lest they follow the same path as their master, at least, that's what Turel had been told. He wouldn't question the decision, he was happy to do it. Destroy the last memories of his elder brother, nothing would give him more pleasure.

Would they fight? Would the Razielim actually attempt to defend themselves, despite the futility of their actions. Did they even know why Kain had sent Turel to slaughter them?

Kain couldn't help but think what response lay in wait for his second born now that the first was dead. Would Azrael have Razielim fight? What would Raziel's orders have been? And what about Jadne?

Kain frowned, it had been over a month since the ancient vampire had discovered the truth about the lieutenants. No one had seen her since. Kain wondered if Raziel knew where she was, but he doubted it. The eldest had been hurt deeply by the unexplained, sudden disappearance of his beloved. Kain hadn't spared the ancient a second thought in weeks, now he wondered what her reaction would be if she found about Raziel's execution. Was she even still alive? Where could she be hiding after all this time?

The sky broke Kain's train of thought. The sun was rising behind the clouds, lining them with a bright border of colour. The last dawn had arrived.

Far, far away from Kain and his empire, Jadne was perched upon the peak of a mountain. She sat, the same thoughts going around in circles in her head, conflicting with each other and confusing her. She couldn't remember why she had come up here, perhaps she had thought the mountain scenery or the pathetic view of a wasteland would help her gather her thoughts. But, she'd been wrong. Sitting here, looking over the land from her high seat, she found she was in the same predicament as she had always been and her feelings still had not been made clear.

Jadne buried her face in her hands as she tried to make sense of her thoughts. She loved Raziel. That much she knew. She loved him, but he was the one who murdered her father. He was the one who had sent her to that damned keep. He was the one who had begun all the pain she would suffer in her life, and now she had fallen in love with him. Part of her mind was trying to reassure her. He wasn't the man who caused her suffering. He didn't even know he had been a Sarafan knight, it wasn't him. But the other part was saying he was. He was the one who set her tragedy in motion and now here she was, suffering more pain because of him.

The sun began to rise in the sky, scorching it with a blinding light. Jadne raised her head to look at it. She hadn't seen the sun rise since she was a child, with her father. She smiled as the sky turned a bright red, then orange dashed with fiery streaks. The sunrise, but not the one she remembered. It was different somehow. She chuckled at the irony, '_Not the one I remember_.' She stood, slowly on the peak and stretched, flexing her wings, 'Raziel,' she muttered. The dawn, bringing with it the answers to her problem, coming up here was not as hopeless as she'd thought. She raised her wings and raising an arm, summoned a harsh wind, to bear her hastily to the palace of the Razielim.

TBC


	10. Jadne of Razielim

Chapter 10 – Jadne of Razielim

The wind caressed Jadne as she made her way to Razielim, a smile spread over her face as she pictured the reunion between her and her beloved. A part of her was nervous as she considered that Raziel may be angry with her for leaving in the first place. She had no idea how long it had been since she had departed but she knew that it had been longer than a couple of weeks, months maybe, there was no way to tell for sure until she returned.

Her vampire ears pricked up as she heard a strange sound on the wind. She stopped, mid flight, straining her ears to identify the distant sounds.

Screams?

The sound of a hundred screams were drifting toward her. Jadne shot her eyes down the road to Razielim. They were screaming. Razielim was in chaos. Jadne spread her arms out and summoned a mighty gust of wind to carry her across the land as the screams got louder and louder. She tried to determine what was happening, what they were screaming but there was only one consistent cry, a call for Raziel.

As she neared Razielim, she was forced to stop once more. She hovered in mid air horrified at the sight that lay before her. She could see the main gate of Razielim and stretching from that, the ground was swarmed with Turelim warriors. She could see their sire at their head as a large force attempted to storm the gate. She flew over the army and looked down on her beloved's kingdom. The entire clan was running around in madness. They were running, screaming, all of them confused and surprised to the attack. Jadne didn't understand it either. What was Turel attacking his elder for? Kain would never approve.

Where was Raziel? Why wasn't he here, why wasn't he trying to defend his clan? Her eyes darted across the chaotic city, searching desperately for a sign of the first-born. She caught none, although she could hear a voice of authority calling across the madness. Someone was shouting to them, trying to calm them, trying to summon them to battle. Jadne looked down and to her surprise it was Maret , rather than Azrael who was taking control of the situation. Beside him his first born, Thorne was attempting to make the same commands, but to no avail.

Jadne alighted beside them both, much to Maret's surprise and delight, "You're here!" he cried. Jadne gave no time to pleasantries, "Where's Raziel?" she demanded, "What's happening?" Maret looked at her sadly,

"My lady," he hesitated, "Lord Raziel is dead." Time froze around her as the last words echoed around her. "What?" she gasped, disbelievingly.

"Raziel evolved before the master, as punishment he was thrown to the abyss, now Kain has ordered our demise," Thorne shouted, unsympathetically as he tried to rally the warriors around the main gate, "I'm sorry my lady," he added, "Raziel isn't coming back."

Jadne stood, frozen to the spot for a moment as she tried to take in what Thorne had said. She shook her head, refusing to believe and beating her magnificent wings once more she left the city and turned her sights on the sanctuary.

Kain rubbed his head, wearily. He required little sleep, but since Raziel's execution, rest had eluded him. He sat in his chair and continued reading, hoping that he would fall asleep before he finished the page.

"Is it true?!" Jadne's voice demanded from his balcony. Kain groaned and closed the book, turning to the ancient perched upon the terrace. "It is customary to knock the door for my attention," he snarled. Jadne tapped her claws against the marble balcony and looked up at the master, "Is it true?" she repeated, in a much calmer tone than she had used earlier.

"Is what true?" Kain asked, wearily though he refused to let his weakness show.

"Is it true you killed Raziel?" she asked, through gritted teeth, using all her self-restraint to keep herself from attacking the master vampire. Kain sighed in realization, "Oh, yes it's true."

"You bastard!" she shouted, launching herself off the balcony, Kain caught her claws as she swiped at him and threw her aside easily. She looked up at him from the floor, "How could you?!" she demanded, "Raziel was your first-born! How could you do that to him?" Kain watched her as she made no attempt to rise from where she had fallen, she lay, with her hawk like eyes staring at him, demanding answers. "Raziel was a traitor," He replied calmly. Jadne looked up at him in shock, "He served you for a millennia! He was your son!"

"The issue is not up for debate," Kain snapped, cutting the ancient vampire short, "Raziel was a traitor and has faced the consequences...and now so will his clan." Jadne rose from her place on the floor, "I won't let you," she whispered. Kain laughed mirthlessly, "You dare go against my judgement?" he asked. Jadne glared at him,

"I have no reason to go along with _'your judgement,'"_ she snarled, "or do you forget that there is one being in Nosgoth who does not serve you?"

"Do not test my patience, Jadne!" he barked, "Why exactly have you come?"

"To see if what they said was true," she muttered, "I couldn't believe that you could kill him."

"I didn't kill him," Kain said, she looked up at him with a look torn between surprise and hope, "I merely gave the order," he finished, finding Jadne's sudden look of despair amusing, "Now, if there was nothing else?" he asked, preparing to re enter the chamber. Jadne shook her head in sad disbelief, "I hate you," she whispered, stepping up to the balcony and throwing herself off it. Kain watched her return to Razielim before she vanished from sight. He returned to his chair and picked up the book, for some reason, he wasn't tired anymore.

Jadne alighted on Raziel's main chamber balcony. She slipped, silently into the room. Everything was in perfect condition, just as it had been when she left. She wandered absent minded around the room as she tried to comprehend Raziel's loss. She traced a claw delicately over everything she passed until she reached the bed. Laid out over the sheets was Raziel's silken colm. She picked it up and gave in to the despair that took her. She broke down, beside the bed, sobbing into the colm, the last sentiment she had to remind her of her beloved. She couldn't contain the freefall of tears until a new emotion took her. She stopped crying abruptly as a deepening hatred of the master vampire who'd caused the grief filled every fibre of her being. It was Kain who had caused the pain that had forced her to leave in the first place and it was Kain who had taken the only person who had made her happy from her.

Jadne rose to her feet and unfurled the colm, ignoring the damp tearstains. She draped it over her right shoulder before leaving the chamber. She made her way to the gate, grasping the hilt of her sword. She would not allow the last memories of her beloved to be destroyed.

TBC


	11. Last Stand

Chapter 11 – Last Stand

"Close the gate!" Maret yelled, "Close it! Close it! Close it!" The gate groaned its protest and finally slammed shut. Maret raised his sword and helped his son slaughter the Turelim advancers who had slipped through the brief opening. When the last Turelim had fallen, Thorne returned to his place beside his master. "That was too close," he muttered. Maret nodded and surveyed the small army before him.

Razielim had finally been restored to some order. The human slaves had returned to their homes awaiting the outcome of the battle, the females too, had returned to their quarter. The vampire warriors had taken their position at all three gates, lest the Turelim attempt an attack from any of the three main entry points to the city.

"Maret!" Jadne called, forcing herself through the crowd of Razielim warriors. Maret and Thorne turned to her, "Glad you could join us, my lady," Maret smiled. She gave a short bow to him before turning her attention to the gate.

"How long can we hold?" she asked.

"Longer than they can," Thorne answered with a grim smile. Jadne looked hopeful but her hope was short-lived as Thorne continued, "They can only continue the siege while their blood supply holds, when it runs low, they will have to regroup." Jadne stared at him, "and when that happens we'll only have the Dumahim, Rahabim, Zephonim and Melchium to worry about until they return." Thorne and Maret fell silent as her words struck home.

"My lord!" a shout echoed over the quiet, waiting soldiers, "My lord?!" the vampire Jade was running towards them, he threw himself to one knee in front of Maret, "My lord, urgent news from the scouts, Zephon has been seen to the west, he'd approaching fast with reinforcements."

"Dammit!" Maret spat, trying to think of a way out of the hopelessness of the situation. "How long?" he asked as Jade rose from his knee. The vampire hesitated, "They'll be here by nightfall," he muttered, deliberately looking away.

An uneasy silence settled on the commanders. The four vampires avoided each other's eye as the hopelessness of the situation dawned on them. They could hold but to what purpose? Kain had ordered their destruction; there was no escaping his decision. "Open the gate," Jadne whispered. The three looked up at her quickly.

"What did you say?" Thorne asked, "Are you mad?" Jadne shook her head,

"It's the only thing we can do," she sighed, "We can't sit in here, going about our daily business while all of Nosgoth attacks us. If we open the gate at least we'll have the chance to fight them properly." Thorne shook his head,

"We would never win," he muttered. Jadne smiled,

"Don't you think I know that? But it's better to fight them than to cower from them." Thorne looked up at his sire and to his horror, Maret was nodding slowly, accepting the wisdom behind her insane suggestion. "Sire," Thorne protested, "Sire, we can't!"

"I'll fight with you, Jadne," Jade announced, taking his place at her side, "Raziel would have wanted that." Maret nodded,

"If this is to be our end," he sighed, turning to his warriors, "let it be an end worth remembering...Open the gate!"

Kain sat on his throne, his chin resting impatiently on his claws as he struggled to ignore the spectre that screamed at him from beside the balance pillar. The main doors opened and Turel's first born entered. Kain sighed, almost happily as he left the comfort of his throne and the moaning apparition, to meet the vampire. "My lord," the first born announced grandly, prostrating before the master, "Razielim has fallen," the vampire paused for effect, "The leaders of the rebellion are in the dungeons as you requested. Should we execute them, my lord?" he inquired. Kain shook his head,

"No," he ordered, "I will deal with them."

TBC


	12. Last of the Ancients

Chapter 12 – Last of the Ancients

"Raziel?!" Jadne screamed, running through the sanctuary, _'Where are you? Raziel?!' _She was running through Kain's sanctuary, through Razielim, through Turelim then through the other clan territories, through her father's retreat, but still nothing. _'Where?'_ she thought desperately, '_Where can you be...Raziel?!"_

"Are you awake?"

"Huh?" Jadne woke slowly from her tormented dreams. Her eyes flickered open; she could see the floor. The dark, stone floor, but...why was it so far away? She wasn't touching it. Then the pain hit her. The pain of her arms, straining to hold her weight as she hung, shackled from the wall, a foot off the ground. Then the other pain, the pain that hit her all over her body. The pain of the battle and then the pain of capture. She struggled to bring her eyes level with her captors and too her surprise found herself staring right into them. Even though she was hanging above ground, Kain still stood at the same height as her. "Where am I?" she asked, looking around, though the answer was seemingly obvious.

"Where do you think?" Kain growled. Jadne fell into silence and let her head drop, not from submission, purely for the lack of pain it caused her to hold it up. Kain's claws grasped her chin, harshly and forced her to look up, "What am I going to do with you?" he muttered, seriously considering his decision. Jadne forced herself to look away from him and her eyes strayed to the sidewall.

"Maret?" she gasped, before she could stop herself. The second born was shackled like her to the wall, he had yet to regain consciousness. Kain let her go, her head dropping sharply and painfully back to its earlier position. She kept her head bowed; she had no energy left to confront the master vampire so she submitted to silence.

"You put up a good fight," Kain admitted, "Turel lost a lot of good men in that battle, but it doesn't matter. Maret here is the last remaining Razielim," the vampire paused and a malicious smile spread over his face as he moved to Maret, "Wake up," he commanded. Somehow the Razielim managed to obey, opening his eyes and looking up, fearful of the master vampire. "Where is Azrael?" Kain inquired. Maret hung his head, defiantly. Kain slammed his fist into the wall, a hair's breadth from Maret's face. Maret looked up again, catching sight of Jadne as he did so, allowing her to catch a glimpse of the terror in his eyes, "Dead," Maret said, blankly, "he died when we heard of the lord's demise."

There was a moment of silence before Maret screamed as Kain's telekinetic powers blasted into his mind, "Do not lie to me, Razielim," Kain warned. He stopped his onslaught, "They ran away?" he questioned, mildly surprised, "Mioko too?" Kain called for his fifth born, "Zephon!" The vampire must have been waiting outside for his master as he entered almost immediately, "Two Razielim escaped, I want them found," Kain commanded without even a glance at his son. The fifth born bowed and left, a snide glance at Jadne as he did so. Kain contemplated the prisoners for a moment, "Dumah! Melchiah!" he summoned. Again the two vampires entered straight away to do their masters' bidding. "Take them to the abyss," he commanded, sweeping out of the cell. Dumah and Melchiah stepped forward, sadly to obey their father's command. Dumah stepped up to the ancient vampire and with a whisper of apology he snapped the shackles.

Jadne felt herself drop to the floor and then the third born's arms tighten around arm as he dragged her from the call. Behind her she heard Melchiah free Maret and the Razielim's struggles as he tried to free himself from the last of Kain's brood, to no avail.

Dumah led her through the dungeons and out into fresh air. She breathed deeply, taking in air that wasn't musty or stale. There were few vampires along the way to the road to the abyss. Dumah was still muttering apologies that fell on deaf ears as Jadne suddenly had an epiphany.

'_I'm the last_,' she thought, sadly to herself, '_I'm the last of the ancient vampires_.' She hung her head as the realization her noble race was about to come to an end sunk in. If she died, her kind died with her. "No," she said, under her breath, "I won't let it."

"Jadne?" Dumah looked down on her, hearing her whisper, but unable to determine what she had said. She paused as she realized she still had feeling in her wings, Her left wing was wounded, a neat slash cutting across the bone, it would hurt to fly but at least she _could_ fly.

Dumah waited for her reply, patiently, but none came. Instead she caught him by surprise, tearing her arm from his grasp and throwing herself into the air, her crippled wings beating furiously to put some distance between her and the vampires below. She could hear Dumah cursing her, whereas Melchiah was almost laughing, he wasn't the one who had to tell Kain she'd eluded them.

TBC


	13. Time Streaming

Chapter 13 – Time Streaming

"Oh crap!" Jadne inevitably crashed into the rocky ground she was attempting to fly over. The injuries she had sustained caught up with her and she rolled across the floor, injuring herself further. She clawed at the ground, pushing herself up so she could survey the land she had crashed into. She looked behind her, "You cannot be serious!" she shouted, she was still in view of the sanctuary. It was a little way off, but she could still see it, she was still in Kain's domain. She punched the ground with a frustrated yell.

After she vented her anger on the sandy ground around her, she drew her legs to her knees and tried to blot out the pain from her wings. She curled one of them in front of her and stroked its wounds tenderly, thanking God she managed to fly as far as she did. At least now she had put some distance between herself and Kain. She let out a sad sigh as she realized that Maret would have been thrown to the abyss by now.

In fact, Maret was still alive, purely because Melchiah and Dumah hadn't arrived at the abyss yet. They were walking up to the verge where their sire was awaiting them. Dumah was lingering slightly behind, fully aware that given the master's current violent mood since the betrayal from his favourite, by allowing Jadne to escape, he could well be the next of the brothers claimed by the abyss.

Melchiah allowed Maret to drop at Kain's feet, where he made no attempt at an escape. Kain's eyes passed from the condemned Razielim to his last-born to his third born. He pursed his lips and looked at Dumah, "Where is she?" he asked, quietly. Dumah hung his head, unable to look his father in the eye. "She flew away, my lord, I couldn't stop her," he mumbled in his defence. Kain sighed, but to the third born's surprise didn't seem too annoyed, a simple, "I want her found," was enough to send the vampire on his way. Looking down on Maret he gave a small smile, "and she left you to die?" he scorned. Maret refused to dignify this with a response, there seemed to be little point. Inevitably he found Melchiah's arms bear him to the abyss on Kain's command. Kain watched the vampire hit the vortex before he turned away, leaving the last of his brood to look into the abyss, remembering how they had thrown the eldest in, just a few days before.

Jadne struggled to walk, the strain of battle and the lack of blood caught up with her and she stumbled along the ground, falling often. She didn't know where she was going. She could always return to the human villages again, her safety would be guaranteed there, but without her wings she would have extreme difficulty in getting there. She knew that she was in danger on the ground, any one of the vampires who served Kain would try to take her life, it would certainly put them in high esteem with the master vampire. She dropped once more to the ground. She wouldn't be able to keep on like this. If she was seen now, she wouldn't be able to fight off her captor and she certainly couldn't outrun them. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the clouded sky, '_see what I've done for you, Raziel_,' she thought, as she struggled to her feet again. After she had walked a few more paces she stopped to properly consider her situation and found it hopeless. She sighed and purposely dropped to the ground, punching it from frustration. She seemed to be journeying for ages and yet, parts of the sanctuary were still visible, including a part she had never seen before.

It was a small building, out of the way of the main sanctuary road. Unlike the rest of the sanctuary it wasn't adorned with any of the clan décor Jadne had become accustomed to. It seemed as though it had been forgotten about, tucked away despite its proximity to the sanctuary. Jadne sighed and heaved herself over to it, managing to wall at least five steps before stumbling.

Inside the chronoplast chamber, Kain was taking some comfort from the images that swirled before him. Granted his son was gone, but not lost and at least one day he would return, even if it were millennia from now. All Kain had now was the pain of waiting. The torture of watching his empire crumble around him and worse, his sons decay into the monsters they were fated to become. He looked away from the vortex before him and it became void once more. His depressing thoughts of watching his empire and family whither and die around him were rudely interrupted as a series of loud crashes from the floor above him caught his attention. He glanced upwards at the ceiling; none of his sons would enter here. For a start they knew nothing of this place and secondly they would know better than to enter a building with Kain's own crest locking the door. Not even Raziel had that privilege.

Kain went, casually up to the upper floor. Crumpled in a heap at the bottom of the tall, stone staircase leading to the entrance to the building was Jadne. "Ow!" she exclaimed, not realizing she had fallen into the presence of the master vampire. She struggled to get up after her long fall from the high staircase. A strong pair of hands helped her up, she wrenched her arm from their grasp as she turned to see who it was she had disturbed.

"Not you," she cried, dropping to the floor in defeat. Kain smirked,

"I won't hurt you," he assured her. She laughed loudly,

"You'll order me to the abyss, but you won't hurt me?!" she chuckled, "I believe you," she looked up at him, "Can you just kill me and get it over with?" she dropped her head to look at the ground. Kain raised his eyebrows, inquisitively,

"Do you want me to kill you?" he asked. She shook her head,

"I've only just started living again, I don't want to die." Kain helped his hand out to her,

"I won't throw you to the abyss," he promised. She sighed and took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. "What are you doing here?" he asked once she had steadied herself. She shrugged,

"Trying to get away from you," she admitted. He chuckled, "Where are we?" she asked.

"Moebius' time streaming chamber," he told her. She looked around; they were standing in a hall with a series of black vortexes lining the walls. With Kain's approval she staggered down to the first vortex and looked in it. It was black for a moment more before it cleared. Revealing to her Janos' retreat in ruins. On the large stones that obscured the balcony, she could see herself sitting, preparing to chase down the Sarafan who had so brutally murdered her father.

"What is this?" she gasped, Kain moved behind her looking into the vision she could see.

"This shows the past," he told her, "Some show the future," he explained, "Moebius used them to his advantage when he was still alive." Jadne moved on to the next vortex, looking into it in wonderment. This one showed her a different aspect of the past and the one beyond it, another aspect. She finally came to one that showed her a part of the future. Looking into it she saw herself sitting on the balcony of Janos' retreat. The retreat looked exactly as it had when she had been a child, yet she appeared to be much older, older than she was now, even. Kain followed her, looking with curiosity into the visions that displayed themselves to her. She smiled sadly at the vision of the future, "Your portal's broken," she muttered turning around. Kain looked into the vortex for a while longer before the vision shifted to show him once more the damnable creature his son was to become. Glancing back, Jadne caught a glimpse of the strange wraith in the vortex. It was only there for a brief moment before it vanished and it was almost unrecognisable, but she realized who it was immediately, "Raziel?!" she gasped, "That was Raziel, wasn't it?" she asked Kain desperately. Kain nodded slowly, filling her with hope, "He's not dead?" she asked, "but how?" Kain shook his head,

"Don't expect me to explain it to you," he said, abruptly, with no intention of going into the painful details of his desire to change the path history had written for him and his son. Jadne waited for a moment to see if the master would change his mind, but she soon realized he meant what he said and wouldn't tell her anything more, "but...but," she protested, "you threw him to the abyss?" she asked. Kain nodded but turned away and she realized that she would get no more from the vampire. Not that it mattered, she had seen Raziel, alive if not the way she would have liked, never-the-less, he lived.

Jadne collapsed against one of the walls and finally voiced the question that had been playing on her mind since Kain had promised not to hurt her, "What now?" she asked. Kain didn't turn back, in all honesty he didn't know. She pulled herself from the wall and unfortunately, slipped backwards, sending her crashing down another staircase. Kain spun around in time to hear her curses as she hit each individual step until she finally landed, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs. "I really need to get someone to eat," she sighed, taking Kain's hand once again. She found herself in yet another chamber, "Where are we now?" she asked, looking at the room. There were three levels, on one level was some sort of inactive portal and at the very top of the ceiling was an inert machine. She looked around in awe, "wow," she gasped.

"This was Moebius' main time streaming chamber," he told her. She looked up at the master,

"This chamber...it can send people through time?" she asked, almost hopefully. Kain nodded slowly, but then said,

"I'm not going to send you centuries to the future so you can be with Raziel," he frowned. Jadne shook her head frantically,

"No!" she said, quickly, "I want to go to the past!" she hesitated, "to my own time." Kain looked mildly surprised, "Please," she begged, "I don't want to stay here...no offence," Kain dismissed her concern with a wave of her hand, he didn't especially want her to stay with him, either, "please," she asked again, "I can't stay here and I don't want to die."

"If I send you back, there's no telling what effect that would have on the time line," Kain explained, "Your actions would have major effects on the present...and can I trust you?" he added, she looked mildly surprised, "you may decide to kill me early on in my life," he admitted. She shook her head,

"I give you my word," she pleaded, "Besides, if I did kill you, I'd be erasing Raziel from existence too..." she added, softly, "even though our time together was brief...I wouldn't change it for the world." Kain looked down on the ancient who had bowed her head to avoid his eye, "I'd stay out of history's way," she promised, "I swear to you." Kain nodded, satisfied and to her utter delight, he moved to operate the device.

"Good luck, Jadne."

TBC


	14. Epilogue

Chapter 14 – Epilogue

Jadne felt a curious rushing sensation around her, like she was falling very fast. The sensation ended with a violent bump as she emerged from the time stream in the chronoplast chamber of the past.

She steadied herself on the wall, struggling to regain her balance. She slipped slowly to the ground and realized that she desperately needed to feed. Some of the more serious wounds from the battle would not heal until she did so. She looked around the chamber. There was no difference between this chamber and the one she had left Kain in. She paused for a moment, had Kain been true to his word and sent her to the time she desired? Or had he sent her somewhere else?

She pulled herself up and made her way out of the chamber, her head was feeling lighter and lighter with each movement. Eventually she emerged from the chamber and she knew at once Kain had been truthful. The land before her was far from the wasteland she had left. The ground was a lush carpet of grass, the sky was a pale shade of crystal blue and the sun's rays shone down on her, blinding her. She raised a hand to shield her eyes as she revelled in the sights around her. The air was filled with the distant sound of rushing water and a chorus of bird song, all suddenly interrupted by a shout that made her realize, without a doubt, she was home, "Vampire!"

Jadne looked down from her position in the doorway to the chamber. Two male hunters were edging towards her, lesser Sarafan warriors, inexperienced and slightly terrified of the ancient. She was smiling at them; the happiness of being returned to her own time swelled inside of her until she thought it would burst. She watched the warriors move slowly towards her, waiting for her to attack or attempt to run. Jadne's eyes travelled from one to the other, normally in this state she would have run to recover her wounds, but she desperately needed their blood and had no choice but to fight.

She didn't actually fight; she didn't have the energy. She merely summoned the wind to aid her. It blew the warriors' weapons from them and once they were sufficiently disarmed she stepped in and drained them both. She felt the wounds on her wings heal as the hot blood coursed through her body, sweeter than any she had tasted. She let the last body fall limp and wiped her mouth, another smile spread over her face. She spread her wings; they didn't hurt as much anymore, she could fly again if she wanted.

A series of shouts alerted her to a disturbance in the distance. She turned her attention in that direction and set off, drawn by the numerous shouts of Sarafan hunters. She found them in a clearing in a forest. She ducked behind a bush and winced as she realized just what scene she had come across.

She recognised the six Sarafan priests, she felt a strange lurch in her stomach when she saw their leader, the human Raziel. Her eyes fell on the creature at their feet, writhing from the effects of the staff yet still trying desperately to fight, her past self. Watching how the six revelled in her despair made Jadne realize, finally the slightly amusing side of Kain's blasphemous joke. She watched them beat her to oblivion and then grab her harshly, preparing to drag her off. She felt a surge of anger as Raziel said those fatal words, the ones that sealed her fate; "Death would be too merciful for this one." Thoughts of saving herself and destroying the Sarafan there and then raced through her mind.

Coming to her decision she spread her wings and took off, out of the forest, away from the historical scene. She flew high into the clouds, heading for Janos' retreat. Kain had delivered her here after she swore to stay out of history's stream. Kain had honoured his side of the agreement, now she would honour hers.

END

Thank you to all my reviewers!!! Going to spend all my time/effort on 'Mioko' now...that said, no updates on the weekend...(as usual) Take care all!

Varyssa x


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